# US Remodelers for Home Depot - WARNING WARNING



## mrviper

If you are thinking about using the Home Depot for a service - PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS!!

As many of you may know, the Home Depot offers many many services to the homeowner, but rarely do they do any of the actual work. They use sub-contractors and/or construction companies to do the work, while the Depot acts as the middle man.

Last year we contracted with the Depot to have cabinet refacing done, to help give our kitchen a much needed face lift that fit our budget. While trying to decide which company to go with, the sales man came out to our house, showed us the products, much the same as the other companies did. When I asked the question about the quality of work, I was told that the Depot in the past had issues with other companies work, but ever since they contracted with US Remodelers, everything has been great, and that they stand by their work. So we signed with them.....

And this is where everything went down hill. A guy by the name of John (who looks like Bob Vila) came out to do the measurements, and then set up a date. I was told it would take two full days with two guys working to complete the job. The two installers came out, and after 1 1/2 hrs on the 1st day one left ill, which I didn't think much of at first. Except the next day only one showed again, and he was gone by 3pm, and the disaster he left behind, actually left me speechless.

So I spent the next hour making up a list, that was 1 3/4 pages long of everything that was wrong. Stuff like, glue on EVERYTHING from the walls, window, appliances, and the hardwood floor (which still till today I have not got all the glue up); The quarter round trim molding was cut at a 90, even where it met the original wall molding which was properly cut at a 45; and the big one, because it was installed in a rush, there is lips where the laminate was improperly cut, which anytime you brushed up against a corner, or your foot went under the foot inlet on the cabinet and then was pulled out, a piece of laminate would chip off. This last one has been a reoccurring theme.

US Remodelers came out approximately 4 times to fix things, but seeing the install was the biggest problem, they were not going to do anything about it, except continually replace the pieces. Now the 1 year warranty is up, and they actually had the gull to tell me I would have to pay the labor!!

Home Depot, being the middle man, wants nothing to do with it, and their so called area managers will not even call me, let alone come to my house. In fact just the other day I was give a customer care number to have a ticket opened, but when I called surprise surprise it was a number for US Remodelers.

Another big surprise, when I called the so called Customer Care line, they couldn’t care less, and after a 45 minute conversation, I was told unless the Depot wants to pay for the labor, they were not going to do anything about it. Which I can assure you the Depot has no intention of doing.


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## slik

Call the BBB. or Attorney General. They can probably help you get results.


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## mrviper

As we speak I have the BBB website open, but I didn't think of the Attorney General....  Thanks!


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## sunman1_67

slik said:


> Call the BBB. or Attorney General. They can probably help you get results.



Sevin on your side.


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## huntr1

mrviper said:


> If you are thinking about using the Home Depot for a service - PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS!!
> 
> As many of you may know, the Home Depot offers many many services to the homeowner, but rarely do they do any of the actual work. They use sub-contractors and/or construction companies to do the work, while the Depot acts as the middle man.
> 
> Last year we contracted with the Depot to have cabinet refacing done, to help give our kitchen a much needed face lift that fit our budget. While trying to decide which company to go with, the sales man came out to our house, showed us the products, much the same as the other companies did. When I asked the question about the quality of work, I was told that the Depot in the past had issues with other companies work, but ever since they contracted with US Remodelers, everything has been great, and that they stand by their work. So we signed with them.....
> 
> And this is where everything went down hill. A guy by the name of John (who looks like Bob Vila) came out to do the measurements, and then set up a date. I was told it would take two full days with two guys working to complete the job. The two installers came out, and after 1 1/2 hrs on the 1st day one left ill, which I didn't think much of at first. Except the next day only one showed again, and he was gone by 3pm, and the disaster he left behind, actually left me speechless.
> 
> So I spent the next hour making up a list, that was 1 3/4 pages long of everything that was wrong. Stuff like, glue on EVERYTHING from the walls, window, appliances, and the hardwood floor (which still till today I have not got all the glue up); The quarter round trim molding was cut at a 90, even where it met the original wall molding which was properly cut at a 45; and the big one, because it was installed in a rush, there is lips where the laminate was improperly cut, which anytime you brushed up against a corner, or your foot went under the foot inlet on the cabinet and then was pulled out, a piece of laminate would chip off. This last one has been a reoccurring theme.
> 
> US Remodelers came out approximately 4 times to fix things, but seeing the install was the biggest problem, they were not going to do anything about it, except continually replace the pieces. Now the 1 year warranty is up, and they actually had the gull to tell me I would have to pay the labor!!
> 
> Home Depot, being the middle man, wants nothing to do with it, and their so called area managers will not even call me, let alone come to my house. In fact just the other day I was give a customer care number to have a ticket opened, but when I called surprise surprise it was a number for US Remodelers.
> 
> Another big surprise, when I called the so called Customer Care line, they couldn’t care less, and after a 45 minute conversation, I was told unless the Depot wants to pay for the labor, they were not going to do anything about it. Which I can assure you the Depot has no intention of doing.


Buddy of mine had issues with a door install by Lowes.  Took 18 months or so, 4 different sets of french doors and yelling and screaming on his part to Lowes, Lowes headquarters, the installer and the company that made the doors, but eventually they got it right.

Moral of the story, don't stop at the local manager, go to his boss' boss' boss.


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## PJumper

mrviper said:


> If you are thinking about using the Home Depot for a service - PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS!!
> 
> As many of you may know, the Home Depot offers many many services to the homeowner, but rarely do they do any of the actual work. They use sub-contractors and/or construction companies to do the work, while the Depot acts as the middle man.
> 
> Last year we contracted with the Depot to have cabinet refacing done, to help give our kitchen a much needed face lift that fit our budget. While trying to decide which company to go with, the sales man came out to our house, showed us the products, much the same as the other companies did. When I asked the question about the quality of work, I was told that the Depot in the past had issues with other companies work, but ever since they contracted with US Remodelers, everything has been great, and that they stand by their work. So we signed with them.....
> 
> And this is where everything went down hill. A guy by the name of John (who looks like Bob Vila) came out to do the measurements, and then set up a date. I was told it would take two full days with two guys working to complete the job. The two installers came out, and after 1 1/2 hrs on the 1st day one left ill, which I didn't think much of at first. Except the next day only one showed again, and he was gone by 3pm, and the disaster he left behind, actually left me speechless.
> 
> So I spent the next hour making up a list, that was 1 3/4 pages long of everything that was wrong. Stuff like, glue on EVERYTHING from the walls, window, appliances, and the hardwood floor (which still till today I have not got all the glue up); The quarter round trim molding was cut at a 90, even where it met the original wall molding which was properly cut at a 45; and the big one, because it was installed in a rush, there is lips where the laminate was improperly cut, which anytime you brushed up against a corner, or your foot went under the foot inlet on the cabinet and then was pulled out, a piece of laminate would chip off. This last one has been a reoccurring theme.
> 
> US Remodelers came out approximately 4 times to fix things, but seeing the install was the biggest problem, they were not going to do anything about it, except continually replace the pieces. Now the 1 year warranty is up, and they actually had the gull to tell me I would have to pay the labor!!
> 
> Home Depot, being the middle man, wants nothing to do with it, and their so called area managers will not even call me, let alone come to my house. In fact just the other day I was give a customer care number to have a ticket opened, but when I called surprise surprise it was a number for US Remodelers.
> 
> Another big surprise, when I called the so called Customer Care line, they couldn’t care less, and after a 45 minute conversation, I was told unless the Depot wants to pay for the labor, they were not going to do anything about it. Which I can assure you the Depot has no intention of doing.



I'm sorry to hear about your kitchen misadventure.  I used to work for Home Depot and as far as I know, the customers were informed that the work will be done by a third party (Subcontractors).  Home Depot nor Lowes have their own installers, carpenters, and the like.  

I just bought some appliances from Lowes with install job and yes, a sub contractor will be used, and for a pretty hefty price.  So I cancelled the install and did it myself, save me some $300.


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## mrviper

*Home Depot Install Services*



PJumper said:


> I'm sorry to hear about your kitchen misadventure.  I used to work for Home Depot and as far as I know, the customers were informed that the work will be done by a third party (Subcontractors).  Home Depot nor Lowes have their own installers, carpenters, and the like.
> 
> 
> I didn't mean to imply I didn't know that subcontrators were used, I was just stating a fact and setting the stage for the rest of the post!
> 
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion of '7 on you side' I hadn't thought of that either!


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## Shoparound9

*I had a similar experience with the Home Depot.*

I used the Home Depot to install new granite counter tops.  They used a subcontractor, but assured me of top quality work.  The seam was placed near my dishwasher, causing the apoxy to melt and expose the seam.   To make a long story short, after repeatedly trying to clear it up with the store we purchased the counters from, we ended up calling the credit company and disputing the 12 months no interest payment on the countertops.  The Home Depot Corporate Customer Service office then decided to contact us.  We did finally receive a new counter (a year after the inital install!).  It really delayed the remodeling project, and they wouldn't even negotiate a discount off the price.  I will never use them for home services again and advise others not to either.


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## Rommey

OK, I've used Home Depot for several installs, including doors and carpeting. I've not yet had a problem with the initial installations, and the minor  issues were cleared up with little or no problem. 

I realize that some of the subcontractors may not be of the best caliber, but they aren't limited to Home Depot, Lowes, or any of the other big box stores. 

When you got a problem, the others are right. Write letters to everyone, including the headquarters. Even call them...you'd be surprised to find out how receptive to hearing and solving your problem. Besides no harm in calling...the worst they can do is ignore you. 

A few years ago, I had ordered about $1500 worth of supplies that I wanted Lowes (in the 'Dorf) to deliver. After many problems and attempts to get my stuff delivered, I gave them a final chance with a hard deadline to deliver the stuff. When they failed, I went there, canceled my order and went right too Home Depot and they gave me all the things on my list (matching Lowes prices, giving me free delivery, and adding another 10% discount on my order), and best of all delivered the parts at the exact time I requested. I sent in the the Lowes receipts to Lowes headquarters with a nicely written letter explaining the problem and my decision to never shop at Lowes again...they wrote me back with a $100 gift card. So you never know what they'll do...


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## mschneid

*Vague Process, Too much $ up front*

I'm no spring chicken and I've done much home remodeling before, so I'm not niave about these things. Our kitchen is 20 years old and a bit dated in look but in great shape and with a great design. So we thought about refacing it to have a new look at lower cost. We also wanted a Corian sink and countertop. We went to Home Depot, and it was clear that the firm that would do the remodel is a partner of theirs (US Remodelers). A very nice young fellow came to our home, very personable, and that's where it all began to become suspicious. Here are some of the things that occurred, so that we didn't do the refacing and felt like we were dealing with the stereotypical used car salesperson. Please be warned and don't deal with them. 

- It was expected that I give the salesperson a check for 30% of the estimate without signing a real contract, and I was expected to pay another 60% when the 'technical guy' came to remeasure the kitchen the following week. SO THEY WANTED 90% OF THE TOTAL COST OF ABOUT $17,000 EVEN BEFORE THEY ORDERED THE CABINETS! I'm sure this is illegal in my state of NJ, as it gives the consumer little to negotiate with to get the job done well and ontime. Other contractors I've dealt with generally have a 1/3 at signing, 1/3 at start of job, and 1/3 at end of job policy, give or take a bit. 

- I was told that almost all customers get a Home Depot charge card to take advantage of the zero-interest for a year deal, and I should do this rather than pay upfront. When my husband pointed out to the salesperson that the charge card is used to hide the date of charges to the consumer- again 90% before the cabinets are even ordered - we just got silence.

- I was told that Home Depot stood behind its partner firm US Remodelers and its products, so that Home Depot imagery was used quite often to make the sale. Yet, this is a separate company and Home Depot has nothing to do with it, other than earning a fee for the referral. 

- The nice guy kept forgetting about charges, so that the price kept rising. At the first visit, the estimate was $927 higher than per the conversation, as he forgot about the countertop removal fee. At the second visit, it was $278 higher as he forgot about a processing fee. While he charged us only once for two $459 fees because he's a nice guy, we knew for sure that when the 'technical guy' camed to measure, he would find the 'error 'and would find new sources of fees.

- I wanted two cabinets to have some intenral work done to them. The nice guy kept referring to the one as adding a lazy susan, even though we said several times that this wasn't what we wanted. He'd then say "oh yeah". Although we never got any paperwork detailing what we wanted to be done, I'm sure it wasnt' right and had the less expensive lazy susan option marked rather than what we wanted. 

- We didn't get any paperwork after the first meeting, not even any marketing material, and the one sheet of paper had the total estimate with no breakdown and also had no company name. I asked for a business card and was told his company doesn't use them. 

- Again, at the second meeting we were expected to hand over a check for about $5,000 and nothing had been done, not a real measurement of the kitchen for the refacing but only a quick measurement for getting the first check out of me. Issues such as the location of seams, etc., were considered unimportant in the estimate, even though my husband and I stressed how important this point is. 

So we called it off when the "90% due before the cabinets are ordered" aspect became clear to us. 

This is a very bad company and bad business model, all about skimming. Home Depot gets a large cut, as does US Remodelers. Little of the money goes into the cabinets or to the sub-contractor who is actually doing the installation. From reading other websites, there are many, many complaints and lawsuits regarding US Remodelers, from customers and from sub-contractors. There's no quality control and little regard for the law. Of course it all depends. There are probably folks who did get a good subcontractor and are happy with the work. But many are not happy with the work, and some like me are smart enough to pull out before giving that first check. 

I also read that US Remodelers engages in some financial engineering as part of its business strategy - this is why they want so much of the money up front, so that they can lose it by trying to act like Wall Street guys. 

Shame on Home Depot for being involved in this sham. No wonder their stock is tanking. And US Remodelers stock is a bit over two bucks a share - which means if they go bankrupt, those foolish enough to fork over so much money before their refacing job is started will likely lose it all. 

I'll going to polish up my old cabinets, replace some of the hardware, and get a new countertop directly from the manufacturer. Consider doing the same rather than dealing with US Remodelers. Or maybe I'll find a local company who'll do the job, so that most of the money goes to those doing the work and to the cost of materials.


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## gt022

*US Remodelers*

My husband used to work for US Remodelers as a subcontractor. His supervisor was always trying to get him to do something "against" the customer while my husband always tried to "satisfy" the customer at any cost, even if the expense came out of his pocket. He ended up getting let go because of he thought of the customer first. 

In fact, because of my husband's customer service skills, some cancelled their orders with Home Depot/Us Remodelers and had my husband do the entire job. Thank goodness US Remodelers never found out about it because he would have gotten into trouble, but my husband felt like the company was ripping people off and not offering the best customer service.

Now my husband has obtained his General Contractor's license (CSL) and can build just about anything. He takes pride in his work and he comes with references and pictures of past jobs he completed. This is what a contractor should have. And he doesn't ask for his money up front - it's 1/3 up front; 1/3 at start of job; and the remainder at the completion of the job - the way it is supposed to be. Don't go the Home Depot/US Remodeler's route. Do your homework first and NEVER give more than 1/3 of the money up front!


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## saggy

Maryland State Law and MHIC rules say the deposit can never be more than 1/3 of the contract price. It only takes $1.00 to make it a legal binding contract. Never, ever give anyone more than 1/3 deposit.....if you do there is something wrong with the company's credit, etc...


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## ranger

If you go to the MD Att. General under Home Improvement you can file a complaint against both companys. I think you can file online. Maryland is suppose to force all license holders to stop all work after a complaint has been file and not conduct any business until the complaint is resolved.
(GCL) can not do Home Improvements?


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## itsbob

sunman1_67 said:


> Sevin on your side.



Does she spread the bug killer on the office floor and desks at UsRemodelers??


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## experienced

*I Know*

U.S. REMODELERS IS NOT IN THE CABINET RE FACEING BUSINESS, they ar in the ONE SIT CLOSE BUSINESS!!!!
The sales reps are not designers, for the most part, they are salesmen. They are trained by U.S. Remodelers thru a nine step program to get the customer to buy the product in ONE VISIT (ONE SIT CLOSE). They are in your home to sell you a Kitchen Project on the spot.


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## saggy

Good link BUT have you gone to the Maryland Home Improvement Commission? The Home Depo prints the companies they use and their MHIC number. This falls under home improvements not building. Even tho they are sub-contractors they have to have the proper lisc. and insurances. MHIC can make them fix the problems or take their lisc. and then they will send it to the Attorney General. Anytime something is done to your existing home it's Home Improvement and they usually fight for the consumer not the contractor. Sorry I haven't read the walls lately but offering my knowledge.


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## rgerson

Seven months after having US Remodelers reface our kitchen cabinets in Naples Fl we're still working out the kinks. The installer complained to my wife on the last visit that he was getting tired of having to drive from Fort Myers and pay the gas expense. Orders for cracked panels have been overlooked and as a result been delayed or the last time the replacement panel came in cracked and wasn't discovered until the installer opened the box at our house causing the rant about the drive and gas. The salesman who was so impressive when he came to sell the job is no longer employed by them and things he promised would be done can no longer be confirmed. Their manager promised to make sure that all of the problems would be resolved, but we are still waiting. I'll post again in a few weeks to keep everyone up to date.


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